1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to dishwashers in general, and in particular to residential dishwashers. Still more particularly, the present invention relates to a residential dishwasher capable of cleaning dishes within a relatively short time period.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A dishwasher is typically the backbone of a home kitchen cleanup process. After loading dirty dishes in a dishwasher, a busy individual or family can proceed to attend to other matters while the dishwasher dutifully cleans the dirty dishes. Thus, no modern home would be complete without a dishwasher.
A residential dishwasher generally requires about 75 minutes to perform the entire dish-washing process, which commonly includes a 15-minute first wash cycle, a 7-minute first rinse cycle, a 7-minute second rinse cycle, a 15-minute second wash cycle, a 7-minute third rinse cycle, a 9-minute fourth rinse cycle, and a 15-minute dry cycle. During the roughly 75-minute dish-washing process, the dishwasher typically makes an agitating noise that inhibits the quiet enjoyment of a home. In addition, fresh tap water is typically drawn into the washing chamber in each of the above-mentioned cycles for washing and rinsing purposes; thus, an exorbitant amount of fresh tap water will be consumed by the dishwasher. During the dry cycle, dishes are generally dried by a resistive heating element, which is usually not very energy efficient. Be that as it may, the temperature inside the washing chamber is only high enough to wash and dry the dishes but not nearly high enough to sterilize them.
In summary, the prior art residential dishwasher is noisy, energy inefficient, wastes water, does not sanitize dishes, and definitely takes a long time to clean dishes. Consequently, it would be desirable to provide an improved residential dishwasher that overcomes the above-mentioned problems.
In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a residential dishwasher comprises a washing chamber, a rack within the washing chamber for holding dishes, a water tank for holding hot water to be used to clean dishes located on the rack, and at least one spray head within the washing chamber for cleaning dishes on the rack. After hot water has been delivered from the water tank to the washing chamber, preferably via a pump, the spray head sprays hot water to the dishes on the rack for the purpose of cleaning. The water tank will be filled with water from a fresh water line in response to a cooking apparatus being turned on. The cooking apparatus can be a stove, a range, or an oven.
All objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent in the following detailed written description.